October 8, 2020

The Honorable George Irvin “Sonny” Perdue

Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Perdue,

We write to share our concerns for the implementation of round three of the Farmers to Families
Food Box (FFFB) Program and to urge your swift action to ensure that awarded distributers and
partnering non-profits are receiving clear directions on the implementation of this final round.
We share the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) desire to provide nourishment to those
most in need and we are confident that with additional clarity and flexibility the FFFB Program
can serve hungry families successfully.

It has come to our attention that the third round of the FFFB Program includes significant
alterations in distribution guidelines, onerous disclosure forms, and a shift in responsibility for
the “last mile” delivery of the food boxes. The initial round of FFFB was rushed into action and
faced problematic contracting issues. Despite these initial stumbling blocks, distributors and non-
profits worked in good faith to implement this program with the goal of getting food to those in
need. Within the last week, foodbanks and distributors alike were startled to learn that as many
as half of the previous contracts were not renewed, leaving foodbanks scrambling to find new
partners, despite weeks of careful planning to ensure round three was efficiently executed.

These recent decisions have exposed a lack of communication between the administration and
food distributors. In addition to not knowing which distributors would have a contract renewed
in round three, we were also concerned to learn that USDA has altered the distribution system
from regional to county specific. This newly developed adjustment has led to widespread
confusion among distributors and non-profits who have prepared for weeks to implement round
three based on the previous guidelines. In some cases, these new contracts have led to
communities being served by distributors hundreds of miles away with no previous connection to
the area where they will be working–we note that such a change contradicts the President’s claim
in his accompanying letter that families will receive “locally sourced” food. Additionally, many
foodbanks who service multiple counties not only need to develop partnerships with multiple
new distributors, but also a lack clarity from USDA as to their eligibility to serve beyond their
immediate county. We ask that you work quickly to provide guidance to distributors and
foodbanks on their allowable services and provide us with the criteria used to award contracts to
distributors for round three.

Lastly, we have heard concern from local foodbanks that there is confusion on who is
responsible for covering the “last mile” of FFFB deliveries. In previous rounds, foodbanks have
served as a sub-contractor, charging the distributor for delivering the final mile. In many cases,
this system benefited distributors who were less likely to provide door-to-door delivery
efficiently, as well as non-profits who received payment for delivering the meals those final,
critical miles. We understand, however, that there were foodbanks who struggled with the “last
mile” issue previously and that USDA specifically worked to address this issue in round three.
Despite this effort, it is clear the problem still exists and has become more on erous for those who
had an effective system in place during the previous two rounds. Under the new guidelines, the
awarded contractors will hire other sub-contractors, who will then deliver to non-profits. The
non-profit will still be covering the burden of delivering the last mile, yet without compensation.
We are concerned that such a change will unfairly burden foodbanks and make it harder for
families in need to access the FFFB. Therefore, we would like to know why USDA solicited
input in Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) proposals for round three regarding partnerships and
delivery plans, only to disregard this input in favor of awarding contracts to companies to serve
counties where they have no “last mile” arrangement?

As a result of the changes made in round three, families will be left struggling to access food
resources. In the midst of a global health pandemic, it is critical that we provide those most in
need with direct federal assistance. We understand the need for alterations to better service
communities across the nation, however, these new stricter rules are not the approach that will
benefit all. If you are unaware of the complications created by round three guidelines, we would
be happy to connect you with non-profits who are scrambling to adjust in response to these last
minute, and irresponsible changes.

We are in danger of losing a critical part of our food supply when so many Americans are in
such need, and we urge the USDA to work with the relevant non -profits and distributors to
provide clarity on round three changes and consider flexibility as needed to ensure the FFFB
Program is as successful as possible.

Please provide a response on why these changes were made and how you plan to mitigate these
concerns. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter, we look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
 Joseph D. Morelle
Member of Congress

Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. Anthony G. Brown

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Ed Case Joaquin Castro

Member of Congress Member of Congress

David Cicilline Henry Cuellar

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Emanuel Cleaver Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr.

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Suzan DelBene Steve Cohen

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Adriano Espaillat Veronica Escobar

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Tulsi Gabbard Dwight Evans

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Alcee L. Hastings Raúl M. Grijalva

Member of Congress Member of Congress
Pramila Jayapal Denny Heck
Member of Congress Member of Congress

/s/

William R. Keating Marcy Kaptur

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Rick Larsen John Larson

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Barbara Lee Sean Patrick Maloney

Member of Congress Member of Congress

James P. McGovern Gregory W. Meeks

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Grace Meng Jerrold Nadler

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Jimmy Panetta Jamie Raskin

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Mary Gay Scanlon Jan Schakowsky

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Kim Schrier, M.D. José E. Serrano

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Adam Smith Abigail Spanberger

Member of Congress Member of Congress
Jackie Speier Thomas R. Suozzi
Member of Congress Member of Congress

Dina Titus Paul D. Tonko

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Norma J. Torres David Trone

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Nydia M. Velázquez Filemon Vela

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Peter Welch Bonnie Watson Coleman

Member of Congress Member of Congress